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Immune
Immune: A Journey Into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive | Philipp Dettmer
9 posts | 4 read | 10 to read
A gorgeously illustrated deep dive into the immune system that will forever change how you think about your body--how it works and why it is both your greatest ally and most dangerous enemy--from the creator of the popular science YouTube channel Kurzgesagt--In a Nutshell You wake up and feel a tickle in your throat. Your head hurts. You're mildly annoyed as you get the kids ready for school and dress for work yourself. Meanwhile, an utterly epic war is being fought, just below your skin. Millions are fighting and dying for you to be able to complain as you drink your cup of tea and head out the door. So what, exactly, is your immune system? Second only to the human brain in its complexity, it is one of the oldest and most critical facets of life on Earth. Without it, you would die within days. In Immune, Philipp Dettmer, the brains behind the most popular science channel on YouTube, takes readers on a journey through the fortress of the human body and its defenses. There is a constant battle of staggering scale raging within us, full of stories of invasion, strategy, defeat, and noble self-sacrifice. In fact, in the time you've been reading this, your immune system has probably identified and eradicated a cancer cell that started to grow in your body. Each chapter delves deeply into an element of the immune system, including defenses like antibodies and inflammation as well as threats like viruses, bacteria, allergies, and cancer, as Dettmer reveals why boosting your immune system is actually nonsense, how parasites sneak their way past your body's defenses, how viruses work, and what goes on in your wounds when you cut yourself. Enlivened by engaging full-color graphics and immersive descriptions, Immune turns one of the most intricate, interconnected, and confusing subjects--immunology--into a gripping adventure through an astonishing alien landscape. Challenging what you know and think about your own body and how it defends you against all sorts of maladies and how it might also eventually be your own downfall, Immune is a vital and remarkably fun crash course in what is arguably, and increasingly, the most important system in the body.
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violabrain
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Pickpick

The extremely informal, conversational tone of this book took a little getting used to, but it was a fantastic read. I learned so much about the immune system. His analogies made really complicated topics easy to understand. And as others have mentioned, the illustrations are beautiful. Highly recommended!

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shanaqui
Pickpick

An enthusiastic pick! The immune system is a complex, beautiful dance that tries to keep itself in balance, and Dettmer makes this really clear. There are places where he explains the relevance to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, as well, and tackles vaccine hesitancy... but the bulk of the book is just understanding all the lovely moving parts of the immune system.

Also the illustrations are beautiful.

15 likes1 stack add
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shanaqui
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"The pincers are for enemies, the cute butts are for friends."

Welp, I just absolutely died. ???

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shanaqui

I've learned two new things from this book so far, which makes me glad I decided to read it properly and not assume I knew more. I didn't know the theory of how platelets are formed by a cell creating long “ribbons“ off itself that extend into the blood vessels and then break off bit by bit to become free-floating platelets.

Also about the nets neutrophils make from their own DNA, and doubt I'll ever forget thanks to the colourful analogy.

7 likes1 stack add
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shanaqui
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This footnote about imagining the bacteria on you as bunnies made me laugh.

Obviously this book is gonna be way too simple in level for me in terms of the text, which should be a restful revision exercise. I'm hoping that the diagrams and illustrations will help me a lot though: I'm not visual at all, so thinking about clear ways to present images of the immune system is nooot something I'm good at.

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Graciouswarriorprincess
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Book 5 of 2022.

46 likes2 stack adds
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Lindy
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Pickpick

The human immune system is amazing & indispensable. It‘s also incredibly complex, so I was happy to have its multiple layers explained with humour & many analogies in this entertaining science book. The #audiobook has frequent information summaries & is read by Steve Taylor, who also voices the Kurzgesagt science channel on YouTube. I have just ordered a print copy from my local bookstore so that I can refer back to this book in the future.

Crazeedi I think I need to put this on my tbr 3y
35 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Lindy
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To most living things, you are not a person, but a landscape covered with forests, swamps and oceans, filled with rich resources and plenty of space to start a family and settle down.

batsy 😷😷 3y
Lindy @batsy 😁beware! 3y
35 likes2 comments
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Lindy
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Same quilt, new audiobook. I‘m hand tying the top and bottom layers together with embroidery thread. #audiocrafting

39 likes1 stack add